Digital v. Film: Camera Sales
| 90 |
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Millions | 80 |
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70 |
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60 |
| Digital Worldwide |
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50 |
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| Digital US |
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Units, | 40 |
| Film Worldwide |
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30 |
| Film US |
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20 |
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| 10 |
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| 0 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
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| Digital Worldwide | 5.5 | 11 | 18.5 | 30.5 | 50 | 78 |
| Digital US | 2 | 4.3 | 6.5 | 11.5 | 17 | 23 |
| Film Worldwide | 67 | 71 | 66 | 63 | 57 | 49 |
| Film US | 16.8 | 20.6 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 |
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We are in the midst of a technological revolution that rivals the inventions of the automobile, the telephone, the television and the computer. Only this revolution is happening much faster. Over 23 million digital cameras were sold in the US in 2004.
Why now?
Advances in computer processing coupled with drastic reductions in the cost of computer memory have converged to supply low cost cameras that can produce quality images. When you hold a digital camera in your hand, you hold a hundred times the processing power and memory of the flight computers on the Space Shuttle!
The digital camera allows the amateur to take better pictures than with film. Why? The computer in the camera makes many adjustments prior to the shot. It not only adjusts the focus, but plans the exposure, contrast, lighting and the flash and adjusts the color balance for the ambient light. A film photographer would change film types or add filters to do the same thing; but the camera does it all in less than a second.
Elements of a digital camera
A digital camera is a lot different than a film camera. Until the advent of
1
